Blogger Love & Companion Blog

Favourite posts from various bloggers...

Caroline Gonzalez at http://magickshop.wordpress.com/

November 25, 2009 : Recycling Tips for Greener Witchery
November 23, 2009 : Herbal Cookies Recipe
November 8, 2009 : Votive Candles Made with Recycled Wax
October 10, 2009 : Free BOS Halloween Page for You!
September 19, 2009 : Peach Delights (includes recipes for "Peach Jam" and "Peach and Muesli Pockets" - yum!)

----- )O( -----

I've also started a companion blog - the The Witch's Cat Recipes.  I'm planning to store all the recipes I've tried (and want to try - guess which list is longer ;-)  and will add pictures of completed dishes when I get around to it. 

Already included (or will be in the next couple of days): Apple Crisp, Banana Bread, Bannock at Bows and Arrows, Black-and-White Cheesecake Squares, Chocolate Crinkles, Gingerbread Cake, Gingersnap Cookies, Lemon Blueberry Bread, Puff Pastry Wrapped Brie.

It's almost the full moon, but the cloud cover's heavy (and it's raining), so She's not very visible! :-(

Blessed be,
Cam

In the Kitchen...

Since M is still unwell, dinner is only being made for one (well, one and two four-legged bums... ;-) tonight - though with both of us having different working times, that's usually the norm....  I picked up a small half ham at the store (maple flavoured - yum!) and it's been cooking in the over with a few onion slices, salt and pepper added to the water.  Now that I'm comfortable making it this way, I would like to do some variations (I'm planning on doing some web searching after dinner!). 

I'm also having mashed potatoes - and I'm experimenting tonight!  I put in the usual milk and margarine, as well as some grated cheese, cream cheese, and parsley.  I put in a little too much milk, but it worked out in the end - nice and whippy!  It could have had a little more parsley (but I didn't want to overdo it!), and maybe something else...just not quite sure what! ;-)

I was going to bake for dessert, but forgot to pick up cocoa powder (there wasn't enough in the can at home) when I was at the grocery store.  I found a recipe that I want to try for "Black-and-White Cheesecake Squares" in an issue of "Martha Stewart" magazine - the picture looks absolutely delectable.  Since I'm working all weekend, it'll have to wait... :-(

I found a new blog today "Octoberfarm" - and I so want to try the recipe given for buns as well as the one for cobbler (and the berry jams and the butterscotch blondies ... :-)

Blessed be!
Cam

Recent Reads: Conway's Wicca

I'm slowly working my way through this tomb of a book (it's a full-sized trade paper just shy of 500 pages), reading chapters (which are generally short, especially in the first and second parts) in short spurts.  While it has some useful, basic information ranging from lists of various gods and goddesses to a dream dictionary, what I really like are the study questions/exercises given at the end of each chapter.  I'm planning to work through them...eventually ;-) 

Although I don't agree with some of the opinions and views expressed within the book, the author gives ample warning: 

"This book reflects my personal approach....  I do not pretend to have the ultimate word on Wicca, nor the only views available.  My views and opinions will not necessarily be those of other Witches or Pagans, nor should they be." (p. ix)

All resources are biased in some way or another, and this one is no different. 

Blessed be,
Cam

Links: Green, Kitchen, Hedge, Solitary, and Miscellaneous

Links found while fiddling around on Yahoo Canada Directory after work.  Will look at them later in more detail (I'm off Friday, but work all weekend), but the "Lady of the Earth" looks promising...  Joined Witchvox and posted a profile (which, of course, I've already edited a dozen times!).  I should post a pic, but have to find (or take!) a decent one - ha ha!  [ed. I've copied my profile from Witchvox and posted it here under "A Little Bit of Me" - Cam]

Very rainy all day today - surprised I don't have a headache again from the pressure.   

Blessed be,
Cam

----- )O( -----

Green Witchcraft
"Ann Moura's Garden" - Contains information about nature spirits, divination, elementals, and herbs.
http://www.annmourasgarden.com/

Hedge Witchcraft
"Granny's Grimoire: A Hedge Witch Handbook" - Provides information about witch bottles, midwifery, tarot divination, and love potions.
http://www.unicorngarden.com/grimoire.htm
"The Hedge Witch's Garden" blog
http://hedgewitchsgarden.blogspot.com/

Kitchen Witchcraft
"Kitchen Witch" - Offering handcrafted soaps, lotions, incense candles, and potions.
http://www.kitchenwitch.com/

Solitary Study
"Blue Moon Wicca: Solitary Study" - Spiritual guide for those not working with a coven.
http://bluemoonwicca.org/solitary.html
"CollegeWicca.com: Solitary Sabbat Activities" - Holiday ideas for the solo Wiccan.
http://www.collegewicca.com/collegefiles/solitarysabbats.html
"Crystal Forest: Tips for Solitary Practitioners"
http://crystalforest1.homestead.com/tips.html

Other Resources
http://www.ladyoftheearth.com/listing-page.html

Backyard Birds

The feeder is as popular as ever - especially after it's been refilled!  I love standing at the kitchen window watching the birds...  Betsy (the cat) likes to chat at them from the front window, while Charlie (the dog) keeps a very close eye on the squirrels from any perch he can get... ;-)

I noticed a lone female Northern Cardinal when I got up Sunday morning (just sitting on the branch), but haven't seen her (or the male) since.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Cardinal

We still get the clan of fat, little House Sparrows who squabble over feeding positions...

Source:  http://barrettswanderings.blogspot.com/2009/06/birding-in-chicago.html

...And the Black-Capped Chickadee's are getting braver!  I saw four of them taking turns yesterday, coming in to sit on a branch, taking a nibble, and then flying away again.  I usually hear them before I see them... 

Source: http://animal.discovery.com/guides/wild-birds/a-c/black-capped-chickadee.html

A lone Dark-Eyed Junco was back as well, nibbling on the feed that I put on the ground (since the Sparrows hog the actual feeder - we really need two - or more...)

Source: http://www.pictures-of-birds.info/page/2/

The pair of Blue Jay's came in during the late morning.  They chase everyone away, even the Sparrows!  But they tend to stay less than a minute or two (and they tend never to linger for the whole feeding session longer than half an hour), so the smaller birds come back during the breaks.  One Jay tried to feed from the feeder, but he ended up tumbling upside-down!  The pair then decided to feed from the ground as well...

Source: http://mygoodnewsfirst.com/Mission.html

...As did the quartet of Mourning Dove's that came in about mid-afternoon.  But then the squirrels decided it was time for them to eat, and they scared the Dove's away!

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mourning_Dove

And then I noticed a new visitor to the feeder...

Source: http://www.wildbirdhabitatstore.com/index.php?_a=viewDoc&docId=49

A Red-Breasted Nuthatch!
At first I thought he was a chickadee, but then I noticed the orange belly and grey wings and smaller head stripes.  He's a fast little bugger (much like the chickadee's), and I saw him at one point hanging upside-down from a branch!

Of course, the squirrels came in to get their share as well.  The grey's are bolder than the small black's, who will feed along with the sparrow's and the bigger birds (the grey ones just scare everyone away!)

As I was looking for pictures of squirrels, I stumbled across articles as well.  I didn't realize that the Eastern Grey Squirrel and the Black Squirrel are the same species - the black ones are just a variation of the Eastern Grey!  The black's really do look smaller, but then maybe it's because the grey squirrels seem so much more fluffier...

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Squirrel , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_squirrel

Since I have to get my butt in gear (to get ready for work), I think that's all for now! 

Blessed be,

Cam

Weekend Frenzy...Or Not

Source: http://www.sharkinformation.org/photo/tiger-shark-feeding-frenzy/519457185/

My three-day weekend started off well enough...

Saturday was shopping day - and not just for me!  Michaels was crowded and the lines were loooong.  As was Walmart (big surprise); but Metro wasn't bad (surprisingly).  I got all of the bits I wanted for the Secret Santa work gift (but forgot batteries again!) as well as a white cloth binder for my BOS (as well as mooning over the paper - but I resisted! ;-)

Sunday was "work on Secret Santa gift" day.  It went well...until I ran out of glue halfway through!  Once I get a refill, it won't take that much longer to finish - and I can say I'm quite proud of it! ;-)

I had plans to pick up glue on Monday...yah, that happened.  It started off with annoyance when the internet refused to work (surprise, surprise - I think we're going to go with Rogers, plus get cable back), then went downhill from there.  M had a small breakdown and (I) called into work for her.  She went back to bed and I ended up loosing myself in a couple of games ("Virtual Villagers" and "Super Granny") for the rest of the day.

Now it's Tuesday morning, and I have to go back to work this afternoon...and I feel as if I didn't accomplish anything this weekend!

On the upside, the moon was absolutely gorgeous (just in waxing - first quarter) last night when I took the dog for a walk.  The wind was cool (I had my hoodie and winter coat, and I could have worn mitts and a scarf), but it was a lovely night, especially for a walk.  It was the kind of night where you could smell that winter (and today's drizzle) was on it's way.

Blessed be,
Cam

(Scrap) Book of Shadows

I've decided that my Book of Shadows will take the form of a scrapbook. It will be housed in an album specifically designed to hold the 12" by 12" pages so commonly used in that forum. I've barely dabbled in the wide world of scrapbooking (I've ooh'd and aah'd over the colourful pages like a blabbering idiot, however...), but our family (and I am guilty of this as well) are not the most photographed people in the world (we have lots of scenery shots, however! ;-)

My plan is to acquire an album dressed in plain white cloth with no window on the cover. I'm going to stencil a celtic tree (the image above) onto the front. I haven't decided whether to include other images as well. I would also like to do something to the back cover of the album, but that's still in the planning stages at the moment.

The celtic tree will also act as my title page, as I plan to write out "[Craft Name]'s Book of Shadows" and "Dedicated & Blessed Yule 2009" along the curvy roots of the said tree.

Along with the title page, the first couple of pages will include:

        * Book Blessing
        * Dedication
        * Protection Spell
        * Table of Contents

I'm still deciding on the contents (and the order of contents) after that.

Once the internet connection stops having issues ([grrr!] I think we need to switch service providers...) and I purchase batteries for the camera, I plan to post pictures of my progress.

Blessed be,
Cam

Prayer For Dealing With Difficult People

You wouldn't think working at a library is stressful, right?  Especially for a confirmed book (and list!) lover?  Ha!  My current job is dealing with "Overdues."  This catchall description includes not only items that people have failed to return on time (or never at all), but also items (books, DVDs, talking books, games, children's kits...) that are returned with a.) damage or b.) parts missing.  This includes dealing with said patrons [oops, sorry, we're suppose to call them "customers" (sorry, I have a hang-up with this term - we're a non-profit public library, not a retail store), but anyway...], who may get a little...difficult.  (The especially annoying ones are those that dig in their heels over a [gasp!] .30 cent fine.)

To make a long story short (and plus I have to get ready to go to said work extremely soon), I've unofficially (always...sometimes...occasionally) tried to remind myself what this prayer states.  Now I just have to do some memorization... ;-)

Blessed be,
Cam

----- )O( -----

Thou art Goddess, thou art God,
I greet you from a place of love.
I will honour us both.
We breathe the same air, feel the same pains,
Do our best with what we know.
I will honour us both,
Thou art Goddess, thou art God.
As am I, as we are All.

Source: Garnet's Book of Shadows blog, "Dealing with difficult people" entry dated November 19, 2007
Original Source:  may have been from Dianne Sylvan's The circle within

A Little Tidbit of...Me!

Newbie solitaire eclectic wiccan, with leanings towards green/kitchen/hedge witchery. I love cats, books, and gardening, and occasionally obsess over lists ;-) I scribble stories and characters when the mood strikes (less and less lately) and ramble a little too much when I do write... I tend to be a fence sitter and can usually see both sides - some consider this wishy-washy; I consider it a gift...

I also like history (studied it in university and still do...), music (usually any kind, depending on my mood!), art, animals, meditation (also helps with my tension headaches!), hiking, the water (doesn't matter where - pool, creek, lake...I would love to stand by the ocean one day!) and baking (can't cook though :-(

I'm approaching 30 and (trying to) see this as just another progession in life... I would love to share my life with someone, but I'm coming to realize that it will happen when the time is right...

I've always been somewhat of a "late-bloomer" (as my grandmother used to tell me) , and read/studied/investigated witchcraft/wicca/paganism throughout my teens and twenties. I've just recently decided that it's time to formalize my interest and dedicate myself to the god and goddess. I'm still discovering my path and my beliefs - and I have a feeling it will be an ongoing journey...

Blessed be!
Cam

[Note: this is also posted on my Witchvox profile]

Bast's Blessing Spell for Cats

Source: http://wrednawiedzma.deviantart.com/art/Witch-and-her-cat-61793307

I found this while browsing the internet this morning and loved it.  All my life, we've had a cat - I can't imagine a household without one!  Blessed be, Cam.

----- )O( -----

Materials: envelope, cat’s hair clippings, your own hair clippings and a picture of your cat.

Set up your altar facing the sun, decorated with your cat’s favorite things. Place the picture with hair on top in the middle.

Beloved cat, beloved friend,
May our friendship never end.
From whiskers’ edge to tip of tail,
May Bast protect without fail.
Nine times nine, your life and mine,
In Bast’s blessing, intertwined.

Seal the envelope after placing the hairs and picture inside. Place it somewhere where you keep your cat’s things.

Source: "Bast's Blessing Spell for Cats" post dated May 23, 2008 from Garnet's Book of Shadows blog
Original Source: Llewellyn’s Witches’ Spell-a-Day Almanac (2008 version?)

Green Witchcraft - Bibliography (1)

As I work on gathering together pieces for my Book of Shadows, books are a big part (as they always have been in my life) of the puzzle. In an effort to organize (I do work in a library, after all ;-) my bibliography section, I'll be posting selections from it (and add to it, of course), listed by general theme/topic and with each title annotated, if possible.

Some of these titles I own, some are borrowed, and some are on my wishlist. All deal, in some form or another, with green witchcraft or herbalism. A few are recommended (from other sources), but a few were just picked up on impulse. One book (Dugan's Garden Witchery) I personally recommend (something which I rarely do - it takes a lot for a book to really impress me [Gah! That sounds arrogant, doesn't it?] ;-)

Blessed be,
Cam

----- )O( -----

*  Bremness, Lesley. Herbs. DK, 2000.
          Recommended reading from Ellen Dugan's Garden Witchery.

*  Cunningham, Scott. Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. St. Paul, M.N.: Llewellyn, 1985.
          Recommended reading from Ellen Dugan's Garden Witchery.

*  Cunningham, Scott. Magical Herbalism: The Secret Craft of the Wise. 3rd ed. St. Paul, M.N.: Llewellyn, 1982.
          Recommended reading from Ellen Dugan's Garden Witchery. I bought a copy last year and it's next on my list of reading materials.

*  Drew, A. J. Wiccan Formulary and Herbal.

*  Dugan, Ellen. Garden Witchery: Magick From the Ground Up. St. Paul, M.N.: Llewellyn, 2003.
          I happened upon a copy of this book at the library, and from page one, I knew this path was where my heart was. Dugan's writing is accessible and down-to-earth (for novice gardener's as well!), sprinkled with antedotes from her personal life. I have since purchased a copy and have read it probably three or four times. Recommended.

*  Dugan, Ellen. Garden Witch’s Herbal: Green Magick, Herbalism and Spirituality. St. Paul, M.N.: Llewellyn, 2009.
          Dugan's newest book, just released in October 2009. I flipped through it (after I, of course, bought a copy ;-) but have yet to read it through.

*  Dugan, Ellen. Herb Magic for Beginners: Down-to-Earth Enchantments. St. Paul, M.N.: Llewellyn, 2006.

*  Enrenreich, Barbara and Deirdre English. Witches, Midwives and Nurses: A History of Women Healers. Old Westbury, N.Y.: 1973.
          Recommended reading from Scott Cunningham's Wicca. Just the title alone appeals to the history student in me, and I plan to pick it up when the second edition (from the Feminist Press At Cuny) is released in July 2010.

*  Hawkins-Tillirson, Judith. The Weiser Concise Guide to Herbal Magick. San Francisco, C.A.: Weiser Books, 2007.
          Found at the library, but still have yet to read.

*  Llewellyn’s Herbal Almanac. St. Paul, M.N.: Llewellyn, published annually.
          I just purchased the 2010 edition in early November 2009.

*  Lust, John. The Herb Book. New York: Ballantine, 1974.
          Bibliography listing from Scott Cunningham's Magical Herbalism. My mother owns a copy that she bought in the late 1980s/early 1990s; I remember being fascinated by it even back then (despite the lack of pictures! ;-)

*  Morrison, Dorothy. Bud, Blossom and Leaf: the Magical Herb Gardeners Handbook. St. Paul, M.N.: Llewellyn, 2001.

*  Moura, Ann. Green Magic: The Sacred Connection to Nature.
          I purchased (probably about five or six years ago) Ann Moura's "Green Witchcraft" trilogy, well as the Grimoire (all listed below), but have yet to actually read (I've skimmed) any of them. I'm pretty sure I also have the Green Magic, but it seems to have disappeared at the moment!

*  Moura, Ann. Green Witchcraft: Folk Magic, Fairy Lore and Herb Craft. St. Paul, M.N.: Llewellyn, 1996, 2007.

*  Moura, Ann. Green Witchcraft II: Balancing Light and Shadow. St. Paul, 2 M.N.: Llewellyn, 1999, 2002.

*  Moura, Ann. Green Witchcraft III: The Manual. St. Paul, M.N.: Llewellyn, 2002.

*  Moura, Ann. Grimoire For the Green Witch: A Complete Book of Shadows. St. Paul, M.N.: Llewellyn, 2003.

*  Murphy-Hiscock, Arin. The Way of the Green Witch. Avon, M.A.: Provenance, 2006.

*  Silja. The Green Wiccan Herbal: 52 Magical Herbs, Spells and Witchy Rituals. London: CICO, 2009.
          Picked up at the same time as I bought Ellen Dugan's Garden Witch's Herbal. Am I an impulse buyer? With books, unfortunately yes. ;-) I've flipped through this book, but have yet to read it. For pure artistic value, it looks wonderful!

*  West, Kate. The Real Witches’ Garden: Spells, Herbs, Plants, and Magical Spaces Outdoors. London: HarperElement, 2004.
          Found at the library, but still have yet to read.

You Might Be Pagan If...

I found this while searching for book blessings, and I couldn't resist making a copy of it. Is it going to find a home in my Book of Shadows? You bet your besom it is - just for the fun of it! ;-) Blessed be, Cam

----- )O( -----

1. When you're sworn in in court, you bring your own grimoire.

2. You've been seen talking to cats. They talk back. You understand what they're saying.

3. When asked if you believe in God, you ask, "Which one?"

4. You know what "widdershins" means. You apply it.

5. You have an entire spice cabinet and you don't cook. You know that laurel and bay leaves are the same thing.

6. You have a frequent buyer card at the local antique bookstore. The proprietor of said bookstore picks out anything to do with the Celts and saves it for you.

7. You think Mercedes Lackey should be a cultural icon.

8. You know that there are exceptions to the laws of physics. You've caused them.

9. The first thing your guests say is, "My, that's a nice...altar...you have there."

10. On Halloween, you yell "Happy New Year!" at passers-by.

11. You know that Christmas trees were originally pagan symbols. That's why you bought one.

12. You have friends who say they are elves. You believe them.

13. You commit blasphemy in the plural.

14. Upon dying, your first thought is, "Darn it, not AGAIN."

15. When you say "Mother Nature," you don't mean it in an anthropomorphic way.

16. Gaia is NOT the lady on Captain Planet.

17. You think The Mists of Avalon should be a religious text. You use it as such.

18. In Religion 100, you were disappointed because they didn't cover YOUR gods.

19. You know that there is a right way and a wrong way to draw a pentacle. You can explain the difference.

20. You've spent the last year and a half looking for a familiar.

21. You talk to trees. They talk back.

22. You know dragons and fae exist. You've seen them.

23. Painting yourself blue, spiking your hair, and dancing naked around a bonfire sounds like large amounts of fun.

24. You've seen "The Craft." You know where they were making stuff up in "The Craft." You have explained this to other people. You can do it better than they did it in "The Craft." You know it's a load of crap.

25. You understand the symbolism behind a maypole.

26. You've ever ended a phone call with "so mote it be."

27. Your children go around telling people that "the Goddess loves you."

28. You're reading this page. You understand what it's talking about. You have more to add.

Source: Lady Ishtar

I Intend...

As I began (another!) blog (just for me)...

I intend this blog to reflect my ever-revolving interests, as a respository for research tidbits (of all sorts), and as a resort for my journalling/writing.

I intend for tags to be of the simplest nature: Book of Shadows, Research, Writing, etc. (once I've worked them all out, however!)

I intend this blog to be a haven and catch-all for my journey through Wiccan - my fears, my joys, my sorting, my research - anything and everything that captures my interest and mood. In short, it is my Mirror Book.

I intend this blog to be "for my eyes only" - it is private, unshared with the world at large. Perhaps for me to be comfortable in my own skin, I should leave it public. But I don't believe I'm ready for that step yet...will I ever be?  [ed.: I've added the link to my blog to my Witchvox profile.  This blog, this diary, is my little corner of the world - and I figure what the heck...]

Blessed Be,
Cam

New not a good time to start something...oh well!